I stretched my back and cracked my neck. Almost two hundred plants and I had to write an exposition about them. So tough, so back breaking.

I glanced around and noticed a few glass wearing individuals already finished as well. I glanced at the poor guy beside me and he had only finished ten of them. His handwriting was so sloppy, no wonder he was going slow. He was trying to make it as readable as possible.

I passed him a list of the hundred and sixty-two plants with pages numbers before standing up. Making my way towards a pretty girl who hid behind big rim glasses and thick green robe.

She noticed me coming and clicked her tongue but also glanced down. Showing deference and respect while also giving me that unapproachable feeling. However, I was blind to rejections.

“Hey, miss. I noticed you finished quite early. Your family is alchemist or enchanters?” I ask, throwing out my dimple smile to win her over.

She sighed, “My mother is my city Alchemist Guild’s branch leader. If you didn’t help that blacksmith, maybe you would have finished within an hour, Count Clarke.”

I nodded, patting myself on the chest.

“Indeed, but I am from the famous Emerald Mountains. We are known to be Founding Fathers in Alchemy…”

She interrupted, “Sorry, my lord but I recently did a magic experiment and my jaws are still sore from chanting. Hope you can forgive me for not talking with you further.”

She quickly bowed and walked away.

I sigh in love, rubbing my chin in thought.

“I think I found my love at first sight.” I stared at her brown hair bobbed up and down as she trotted into the back of the green house, dodging roots, and low branches.

She had a fantastic figure that was clear from here. I turned around and looked over the rest before giving up and retreating.

If I hit on another right after her, wouldn’t my ice-breaker go down the drain. I must take it a step at a time.

***

Sun came up and the teacher returned like a ghost. She waved her hand and all our notebooks and loose paper shot to her hands.

“Class is over, you may leave,” she dismisses us with a glance.

I packed up my supplies and checked to make sure I didn’t have another class. The red-head chased me after I left the class.

“Hey friend, mind if I join you for breakfast? Also, my name is Titus. I’m from a small town in Snowdrift town.” He rambled on.

I sighed, walking towards the little town in between the long walk to class locations. There was a restaurant label as Dining hall but it had other restaurants and stores surrounding it. According to the map, the most frequent noble restaurant was a place called Six Meats Grill.

I am going to try it out.

“Hey, so I saw you hitting on Mariella. She was in my town too. Always acted more stuck up than the nobles even though her mother was from a common background too.” Titus complained.

I coughed and pointed at the girl he was talking about walking not even six steps away from us.

“You shouldn’t talk about people behind their backs. As noble myself, I am actually stuck up too. However, I try to befriend everybody because we are slowly moving away from the idea of Nobility, where only Nobles had power and authority. To many people gaining the power to contend with us, plus the power of the fist overrules the power of voice.” I slipped a step closer to Mariella.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Oh, hey. Can I interest you in food? Even if you don’t care for me, it would be rude for you to turn me down without first accepting a free meal. Even if you can afford it, please act like this lowly one only wish in life is to provide you a new dish to me and you? Or maybe just me.” I rambled on, not letting her speak, while pointed at the Six Meat Grill sign.

Mariella looked like she was going to decline regardless, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her in. Giving her no chance to disregard me.

“Hey, so you said your mother is branch Director. That’s cool. I have a branch director in my city too but they constantly compete with me over who has the best producing procedures. Can be quite fun, why don’t we talk about our experience? We can maybe improve each other's alchemy skills, huh? Even if you don’t like me, you must like knowledge, right? I’m quite knowledgeable, a little lord and quite humble.”

Mariella dug her heels into the ground while clawing at my grips. I dragged her all the way into the store and to a table. Pulling out the seat with a wave of my hand and letting her fall in it before scooting it into the table.

The surrounded guests gave us a glance but then ignored us. The red-head followed like an uninvited puppy, taking a seat with no regard for romantic aura I was trying to enforce. Sighing, I seated myself.

“My lord, even if you are a high ranking noble and high ranking Alchemist, you can’t just drag me with you because you're strong enough to.” She fixed her clothes, then rubbed her arm.

A frown plastered on her face but she kept down the anger she wanted to vent. Her eyes constantly looked around us to see many nobility sitting and chatting. Some sporting third or second year badges.

Setting my elbow onto the table, I leaned my head upon my palms as I stared into her eyes.

“Oh, apologies. I had to at least buy you dinner once, just to achieve some level of beginner level of friendship, right?”

She opened her mouth to speak, “But..”

I interrupted, “No need to thank me. We are fellow alchemists, we should be sticking together. Through thick and thin, hot or cold…” My voice trailed off as my badge alarm went off in my mind.

I held it up to see my next class started in ten minutes. Advance Combat Class, second class began in fifteen minutes. My soul wept and I tossed some gold coins on the table.

“Sorry, my class starts at fifteen. I’ll grab something from a stand. Please enjoy lunch on me.” I stood up and was about to rush away when it hit me.

Fifteen coins might not be enough.

I took out one of my bank cards that had spare two hundred gold rounds on it. I passed it to Mariella.

“Aye, that might not be enough for food. If so, use my card. I am pretty sure we will have another class together.”

With that I ran off, leaving Mariella to turn in her chair with the card in hand, a baffle look on her face. She turned back around and looked at the waiter who sat down.

(Third Limit)

Titus wasted no time picking out what he wanted. Mariella bit her lip for a bit while scanning the menu, the lowest price tag being five gold coins for a meal. She knew it was that high because of the high mana concentrated within the meal. So she picked a small dish of lightly baked beef slices marinated in white cream sauce with a side of baked potato.

“Mariella, as someone from the same town. I’m going to be upfront, you should consider at least allowing him to court you in public. This will keep a lot of stronger than you, nobles, from seeking to add you to their belt notch.” Titus whispered slowly.

Mariella snorted, “How about you become his lover, hm? I am fine on my own.”

Titus leaned over and smirked, “I already accepted a lady using me as a shield. You will see the differences in a few days though. The differences between a commoner and those of Nobility in a school that prides itself on producing the strongest, most intelligent student in any craft. They will not care about those trampled upon.”

He leaned back as the waiter placed the plate down before them. The waiter popped open a bottle of wine and poured them some before leaving the bottle and disappearing.

Mariella picked up her fork. “I don’t need advice from you.”

Titus shrugged, “That’s advice from the guy who recruited me. His exact words were, ‘if you aren’t stronger than someone who wants what you have, likes what you like, and has the ability to take it from you. Then you should throw down the dog pride you have. Get on your hands and knees and show someone with the ability, talent, and foresight to take those things with their own hands. Commoner or Nobility, it doesn’t matter. Power of the Fist is what the school is teaching. Power of the brain and voice is what they expect you to have but they truly only care about who is the strongest.’”

Titus shrugged again and began eating. Leaving Mariella to stare at her food lost in thought.